8-year police veteran treated, released

A Silver Spring man faces drunken driving charges after his SUV crashed into a Howard County cruiser in Columbia early Monday morning, according to a police spokeswoman.

Phillip Vu, 49, of Silver Spring was not injured when he ran a red light on Little Patuxent Parkway just before 2 a.m. and struck the driver's side of a police vehicle driven by Officer Kirk Brown, who was turning left from Columbia Road, said the spokeswoman, Elizabeth Schroen.

Brown, who has been a Howard County Police officer for eight years, was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was treated and released, Schroen said.

Vu has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired and failure to stop at a steady red light, Schroen said.

According to court records, Vu was released on his own recognizance on Monday.